Maximize Current Technology Before Spending on Transformation
Business leaders face a delicate balancing act between innovation and efficiency. They need to keep their IT systems up to date so that they can remain competitive, but doing so is costly.
Business leaders face a delicate balancing act between innovation and efficiency. They need to keep their IT systems up to date so that they can remain competitive, but doing so is costly. At the same time, they have to make sure that their operations are efficient enough to remain profitable; otherwise, they'll never be able to afford the software upgrades in the first place. But how can you do both at once? Where do you start? These days, many companies are turning towards Digital Transformation as a solution - but what exactly is this term and how should it be used?
Business leaders face a delicate balancing act between innovation and efficiency. Innovation is important because it helps you stay relevant and competitive with other businesses in your industry. However, efficiency is just as important because it helps you stay profitable—and staying profitable keeps your company strong.
In order for these two factors to be balanced properly, it's important for business leaders to know how each one affects the other.
Where do you start?
To get started, you need to understand your current technology and processes. You also need to identify pain points in your business. Once you have this information, digital transformation can be a great solution for solving some of those problems.
Identify strategic priorities: Where do you want to improve? What are the most important things that need to be addressed first?
Understand current technology: Where is it failing now? Is there a better way of doing something that would help solve a problem or allow you to accomplish more with less effort?
Understand current processes: What kinds of processes exist within your company right now? Are these processes effective at meeting their goals/objectives/targets/etc.? If not, why not reevaluate them and see if something needs changing or improving upon in order for them (and their overall effectiveness).
Identify pain points in business: What areas do employees struggle with the most when trying complete tasks related specifically to their job responsibilities - especially when working independently from one another because they don't necessarily have access
Some businesses have tried to address the problem of legacy applications by investing in Digital Transformation.
There are many places where digital transformation has been tried before, and it’s not a silver bullet. Businesses have invested in digital transformation with the hope that it will solve their problems. They often find that their business needs require more than just a new look to the user interface or an updated set of features.
Digital transformation is not a replacement for legacy application modernization either, nor is it a replacement for modernization itself. It can be used in conjunction with these efforts in order to break out of the mold and bring new value to your customers through innovation or effectiveness improvements (which may be achieved by integrating data from other applications).
The term "digital transformation" is often misused by those who don't understand the real need for it.
The term "digital transformation" is often misused by those who don't understand the real need for it. They think that what they're doing is digital transformation, but in reality, it may just be modernization.
Digital transformation refers to a fundamental change in the way an organization uses technology to transform its processes and business model. In other words, digital transformation isn't just about adding new technologies—it's also about changing how people work together within your organization's structure and culture. This can involve transforming how you interact with customers or suppliers; how you relate to your employees; even how you define what success looks like within your company.
Many companies have invested heavily into digital transformation without identifying their truly strategic priorities.
Just because you're upgrading to a new ERP system or investing in an AI platform doesn't mean you're transforming your business. In fact, many companies have invested heavily in digital transformation without identifying their true strategic priorities.
In my opinion, the digital revolution means any form of modernization that enables a company to compete more effectively in today's market and deliver better customer experiences—and it's not just about technology. It can include changing how work gets done (e.g., implementing agile development techniques), changing how we communicate internally (e.g., using video conferencing) or externally (e.g., building a robust website).
In these cases, the focus on digital transformation may be just another way of saying, "we want to modernize.
In these cases, the focus on digital transformation may be just another way of saying, "we want to modernize." This can be an expensive way to change. Modernization is essentially upgrading your technology in order to improve processes or solve problems.
Digital transformation is quite different. It's about transforming the way you do business by rethinking how you interact with customers and create value for them through new business models, products, services, or experiences—and often all four at once. When done well (which means it needs a solid strategy), it will help you evolve into a future-ready organization that can compete effectively against more nimble companies outside your industry that are already embracing digital technologies as part of their DNA.
If you can't identify your priorities, don't waste time and money on digital transformation.
If you can't identify your priorities, don't waste time and money on digital transformation. To avoid this scenario, companies need to ensure that their business strategy supports a digital transformation plan. For example, if you're trying to make better use of data analytics, then it's crucial that the company has a strategy around data collection and analysis. If not, getting started with a new initiative will be much harder than necessary—and may not even be possible at all.
The same logic applies when choosing which technologies best fit your needs: Don't invest in something that doesn't align with your business goals or industry trends! The lessons from these companies are clear. Focus on making the most of what you have before you try to transform your business.